Truth and Lies in the Dreaming Mind
The Toltecs teach that all humans are dreaming (Chapter 2). This means they are distorting reality according to their own individual filters and programming. What humans perceive as the world around them is not what is really there — it only exists in the little virtual reality (“dream”) in their individual minds. No two people perceive the universe in the same way, which means that everyone lives in a different universe.
This piece of the Toltec wisdom is very profound. Everyone lives in a different universe. When any human describes the universe, that person is talking about the unique world he or she lives in, not anyone else's. This is why the Toltecs invite you to not take anything personally. If someone talks about you, he or she is actually describing the “you” that lives in that person's dreaming mind, not you. He or she cannot see you. What the person describes has nothing to do with you, so it is not personal.
The Truth of the Mind's Dream
When people describe their universe — how they feel about an event, a strong political opinion, the story of their difficult childhood, why the world is against them, what you did to hurt their feelings, or their new soul mate — they are telling the absolute truth. They are looking at the virtual reality of the world inside their mind, and describing it with precise accuracy, complete with all the visuals, dramas, and emotional content.
The eagle warrior knows that other peoples' descriptions have nothing to do with what is “out there” in the world, including the warrior. He is dreaming a different reality, and he is absolutely aware that his dream is the truth for himself, and no one else. The eagle warrior does not engage in conflict about whose dream is right, and he does not defend his version of reality. He knows that every person's dream is the truth for that individual, and for no one else. The Toltec warrior is free to live in the world, following his path with heart, seeing the truth in every dream.
The Lies in the Dreaming Mind
If everyone is dreaming and describing their dream, then nothing they say about the outside world will be the truth. No one can see the truth of the universe as it actually is, because everyone is distorting it. The human mind is an organ of self-deception: What it tells itself about what it sees is always a lie. The eagle warrior understands that he always tells the truth (describing his personal dream) and he is always lying (because he cannot see what is actually true).
If everything I think I see is a lie, and not really out there, what is out there?
You can touch what is out there, but the minute you think about it, name it, ask about it, or describe it, you are dreaming something else. The warrior accepts that he can never really know what is out there.
The warrior gracefully holds the apparent contradiction between truths and lies. He absolutely believes everything he says, everything he stands for, and the perfection of his dreamed universe, knowing it is his truth and his alone. The warrior also knows that everything he believes and says is a lie, because he is describing a dream. The warrior knows he is a master dreamer, and lives passionately in the truth and lies of his dream.
